Where there is a Will, there is a way
by Rivan Warrioress
Summary: During her "will be done" spell, Willow wishes to be with people who won't abandon her to her pain and suffering, and know what belonging to a team really means. The next thing she knows she isn't in Sunnydale anymore.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own or imply that I have ownership of the characters, locations and other recognisable features within this story. **Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Stargate SG1 belongs to MGM and Brad Wright. I own nothing except for a warped imagination.

Willow sat alone in the crypt, bag slung over her shoulder, thinking about her spell, the 'my will be done' spell. She sniffed and tears rolled down her face. She knew that she'd done the wrong thing; she knew that Giles was right and that she shouldn't be experimenting with her magic like she was, it was too dangerous. She knew that she should wait until Giles had the time and inclination to spend the time tutoring her on how to go about performing magic but everything hurt so much at that moment. Oz was gone and he wasn't going to come back. She felt horrible, as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest and trampled.

She knew that she wasn't the first to have gone through this. Buffy had only a few short months ago and logically Willow knew that eventually she would meet someone else and be able to move on but it hurt that none of her friends were willing to stand by her side until it no longer felt like she was struggling just to remain standing. Buffy was off with Riley and the commando boys, Xander and Anya were spending hours upon hours seeing how many orgasms they could give each other in one night, and all Giles did was criticize everything she did. Her parents were on the other side of the world and Angel and Cordy were too busy setting up their detective agency to worry about Willow's problems. It felt to Willow like every one of her friends seemed to be unable to realize that at that point Willow was crying out for help… screaming at the top of her lungs for someone to offer their shoulder to cry on, to tell her that the pain would eventually fade and that there would be someone else in the future who wouldn't cheat on her because she wasn't enough of a werewolf for them, someone who would love her forever.

For the moment, however, Willow simply wished that she was with people who actually cared. People who would hug her and reassure her when she was feeling upset and not continuously chastise her mistakes, but instead show her the right thing to do, people who would care for her as Willow and not just 'ole reliable research and net girl'.

Willow sobbed and drew up her knees, looking at the crypt around her, Oz's empty cage in front of her. She'd never felt so alone in her life. She wasn't good enough for Giles, she wasn't smart enough for her parents, she wasn't strong enough for Buffy, she wasn't hot enough for Xander, she wasn't demon enough for Anya, and she wasn't wolf enough for Oz. Willow rested her chin on her arms, tears flowing freely down her face as she wept

"I just want to be with people who won't ignore me when I'm in pain, I want to be with people who know what it is to be a team and a friend!" she cried out to the deserted crypt. Around her, the crypt began to blur and Willow gulped as she realized what she'd just done.

"Oh, not good," she whispered before she felt a jerk from somewhere behind her navel and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 1: Not in sunnydale anymore

Willow blinked, taking in her new surroundings. She was in a room lit with many candles but was otherwise darkened. She was, however, not alone. A tall, well-muscled man was sitting across from her, his legs crossed in a classic mediation pose, his eyes open as he looked at her, his face clear of any obvious emotions.

Willow sobbed before wiping away her tears and lowered her knees.

"Um, hi?" she asked. The man's eye's narrowed slightly.

"Hello, who are you?"

"Um, I'm Willow," Willow said nervously as the man got up. She gulped. He was very tall and his biceps were huge, his dark skin taught over his bulging muscles. The guy obviously worked out. Willow guessed he was a soldier of some kind, although as he drew closer she noticed an odd tattoo on his forehead in the candlelight. She'd never seen anything like that symbol in her life, even in any of Giles' research books

"How did you get here, Willow?" the man asked; his voice very deep. Willow chewed her lip.

"I don't remember. One minute I was in the crypt and the next I'm here," she explained. "Er, where exactly is here?"

"I will refrain from answering that question until I have notified others of your… unexpected appearance."

"Okay," Willow said nervously, glancing around. She swallowed. She had a feeling that she wasn't supposed to be here.

"Stay here," the man ordered before opening the door and stepping out. Willow got a glimpse of the brightly lit corridor before the door closed. She heard the distinctive sound of a lock engaging and knew she'd been locked in the dark room. When the door had opened, most of the candles had blown out but Willow still had a few to see by, so she slowly got to her feet. She was uninjured, which she took to be a good sign, so she looked around the room, finding it to be bare. She didn't look around too much though, not knowing when the man would be back.

"I guess Giles was right," she said softly. "I really am a screw-up. I really do have no idea what I am doing." Willow walked over to the wall and slid down so she was sitting in the same spot that she had initially been in. She sobbed and brought her knees up again, burying her head in her legs as she cried in earnest. She moved her hand to her side and jumped a little, feeling the familiar texture of her bag. She'd missed the bag earlier in the darkness. At least she had that with her, wherever here was. Willow sniffed and went back to her sobbing.

It was a few minutes later when she heard footsteps outside the room, lots of them. It sounded like the man had brought a small army back with him. She heard the lock click and then the door was cautiously opened, revealing the man and several other men that were all armed with rifles. They were all wearing military uniforms with the exception of the man that she had disturbed. Feeling very nervous with all those guns pointed at her, Willow picked up her bag and stood up, raising her hands into the air in surrender, her heart pumping in her chest wildly as she backed away from the doorway.

"What's your name, kid?" a gray-haired man asked.

"Willow Danielle Rosenberg. I live in Sunnydale, California, I'm eighteen years old, and I have no idea how I got here. I'm so sorry, I don't know what's going on," Willow babbled, losing her grip, tears sliding down her face. A couple of men at the back looked at each other, obviously confused.

"California?" someone else asked.

Willow nodded rapidly. "Yes, I go to UC Sunnydale," she told them.

"What's in the bag?" the gray-haired man asked, not lowering his rifle.

"My wallet, keys, a cross, um," Willow faded off… Great, how was she going to explain the stake she had in her bag? "A couple of other bits and pieces."

"Do you know where you are?"

"No," Willow replied, shaking her head. The gray-haired man beckoned.

"Put the bag down and step forward slowly," he told her, a note of command in his voice. Willow immediately obeyed, slowly stepping closer and closer to the doorway. Some of the weapons were lowered and a couple of men, including the man that had first found her, walked in, pulling her hands behind her back. Another man patted her down. Willow said nothing, too frightened to do anything that could be thought of as resisting.

"Take her to the brig," the gray-haired man ordered and Willow was led through the corridors to an elevator. Someone hit the button to take them to the sixteenth floor and once they'd arrived there, Willow was led through more corridors and pushed into a cell. Once inside, she dropped to her knees, crawling away from the bars to the opposite wall. She was so confused. She didn't know where she was and she didn't know why she was there. Giles would be so disappointed in her.

She felt eyes on her and lifted her head, watching the man whose meditation she had interrupted studying her intently.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"For what?" the man asked.

"Disturbing your meditation and for appearing somewhere I obviously was not meant to be."

"I am sure things will be sorted out," the man told her. Willow gave a shaky nod and drew herself into a corner of the room… the cell. She leaned against the wall and felt tears prickling at her eyes once again, drawing her arms around herself protectively. Something in her gut told Willow that she wasn't in Sunnydale anymore and that whatever she had encountered didn't involve the supernatural. She wondered if it was somehow attached to the Initiative. She shuddered at the thought, thinking about how Spike had been chipped. Whoever it was that had caught her wouldn't experiment on her, would they?

Willow lost track of time as she sat in a huddled up ball in the corner of the cell, feeling absolutely pathetic and miserable. She knew that she was acting like some damsel in distress but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was being held captive by the military… the US military, if she wasn't mistaken, judging by the accents of the men she'd encountered so far... and the uniforms. She was terrified that she was going to get imprisoned for life for trespassing on a secure base, or something like that, sent to one of the notorious military prisons that she'd seen talked about on TV.

Eventually, as she was beginning to grow tired, she heard feet coming down the corridor and wearily raised her head. The gray-haired man from before, a blond woman, a brown-haired man with glasses, a bald-headed man, and a red-haired woman all came into view, meeting with the man that Willow had been talking with. Willow wished she had names to put to faces.

"So, you're the one whose put my base into disarray," the bald-headed man said, looking into the cell at Willow.

Willow shakily nodded. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir. I just want to go home," she told them. "I don't know how I got here, I don't even know where here is."

"Colorado Springs," the gray-haired man told her.

"Oh, I'm so not in Sunnydale anymore," she muttered to herself. The gray-haired man snorted slightly at that comment. Willow inwardly smiled. At least these people had heard of the Wizard of Oz. Hopefully, that meant she hadn't jumped dimensions or anything like that. Weirder things had happened, after all.

"Can you tell us what exactly you were doing before you appeared here?" the blond woman asked. Willow nodded, deciding that it was best to be honest. If they believed her… great, if they didn't… well. She was a horrid liar, anyway.

"I was sitting alone in a crypt, thinking about how much my life kind of sucks right now. My boyfriend cheated on me and none of my friends understand... or, well, they do, because they have all gone through tough breakups before... really tough break ups but they're all so busy with their own stuff. I dabble in witchcraft and I'd done a spell trying to make everything right again, only it went wrong, like my spells do, and it made Giles blind and Buffy and Spike in love and all my friends hated me and Giles was so disappointed, so I was on my own and the next thing I know I was here. I've never even touched transportation spells before. Obviously it just shows how bad I am at this."

"Spells… you were doing magic?" the gray-haired man said in disbelief.

Willow ducked her head and nodded. "Like I said, I'm obviously no good at it," she said sadly. "The spellbook is in my bag if you want to check it. I was about to break the spell before I vanished. Oh God, Giles is going to be so angry that I vanished with his book. I'm not even supposed to have it," Willow continued babbling.

"Could you do something to prove that you can do magic?" the red-haired woman said evenly. Willow paused.

"I suppose, I'm pretty worn out though. Have any of you got a pencil?"

The man with glasses pulled one from his shirt pocket and showed it to her through the bars.

"Careful, Daniel," the gray-haired man warned as Willow slowly approached him. She nodded.

"Perfect. Hold your hand flat," she instructed. The man, Daniel, obeyed and Willow concentrated. The pencil wavered for a few seconds before it slowly began to rise from Daniel's hand. The eyes of the rest of the group went wide and their mouths fell open. Willow, however, was too busy concentrating on the pencil to notice. She could feel sweat building up on her brow as she fought to maintain her focus but it was too much and the pencil fell to the ground. Willow leaned against a side wall of the cell wearily.

"What… how…" The blond woman was shaking her head in disbelief.

"We know of any races that can do stuff like that?" the gray-haired man asked Daniel. Daniel shook his head, looking at Willow in… was that apprehension?

The red haired woman, however, had a concerned look on her face.

"Sir, I'd like to take a blood sample for analysis. She looks worn out."

"Did she say much earlier, T?" the gray-haired man asked the one who had stayed with Willow. The man nodded.

"Indeed she did, Jack O'Neill. She apologized for disturbing my meditation and for being here, which she knows she should not be," he replied formally.

"Alright, Dr. Frasier. You can collect your sample," the bald-headed man replied. The gray-haired man pulled out his weapon as the cell door was unlocked and Willow watched him approach wearily as the red-haired woman and the dark-skinned man followed him in. Willow flinched when she saw the needle in the woman's hand, her thoughts flying to Spike's stories about the methods of the Initiative.

"Please don't do experiments on me. I've never hurt anyone, not deliberately at least," she pleaded, her voice tinged with panic as she backed up a few steps.

"It's just a precaution, Willow," the woman reassured, setting up to take the sample while the two men stood protectively over her. Willow knew that they were there to make sure that she didn't attack the woman, who Willow guessed to be a doctor of some sort. Willow looked away from the corridor as she felt the needle go into her arm and she felt her blood begin to leave her body. It was a similar sensation to getting bitten by a vampire, she realized with a shudder.

Willow glanced at the bag that her blood was flowing into and felt her eyes grow heavy, her vision tinged with gray. Unconsciousness beckoned as she weakly fought the urge to pass out. She was worn out by the magic she'd performed, the panic and fear her situation had subjected her to and the blood loss she was now experiencing. She was dimly aware of the red haired woman calling her name, having realized that Willow was struggling to stay conscious. Willow wasn't even aware that the needle was pulled out of her arm and pressure was applied to the wound it left behind. Not even strong enough to hold herself upright, Willow slumped over to her side, wincing as she felt her head hit the cold, hard ground. The ground was highly uncomfortable but Willow couldn't bring herself to care as she succumbed to the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 2: That's Sunnydale for you

Jack O'Neill looked at the cell, frowning as he watched the sleeping, red-haired teenager. She definitely didn't look overly threatening but looks could be deceiving. Hammond had tried to send Thor a message to see if the Asgard had been involved in Willow's sudden appearance, although after the teen's little levitation display Jack was inclined to believe her story. He spent his time traveling to other planets and fighting off aliens after all…weirder things had happened.

Janet was analyzing Willow's blood at that moment, trying to detect any abnormalities that would indicate that Willow wasn't human. Both Teal'c and Carter were sure that Willow was not carrying a Goa'uld but before she was released Willow would need to be tested for it.

Jack frowned as he recalled how frightened Willow had been, especially when Janet had gotten the needle out. As much as he was concerned about the obvious security breach she was, Jack also felt a little sorry for her. She was just a kid, obviously deeply frightened by what was happening around her. It was why he hadn't protested when Janet had asked Teal'c to pick up the unconscious intruder and put her on the cot set up in the corner of the cell. Willow was still sprawled out on it, quiet and still.

While Janet and Hammond had left, Sam, Daniel, Jack and Teal'c had stayed behind, waiting for Willow to regain consciousness. Already Jack could tell that Daniel's compassionate side was endearing the teenager to him and Teal'c seemed to be curious about her as well. Maybe it was because she had appeared right in front of him as he meditated, Jack wasn't sure. Still, Jack trusted that Teal'c would keep his wits about him around the stranger and understood that appearances could be deceptive.

Daniel, on the other hand, was another story entirely.

Jack was drawn from his musing when Hammond and Janet walked in together, both carrying files. Jack got to his feet, wincing as his knees protested. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c followed his lead as Jack approached General Hammond and Janet. Hammond dismissed the Marines on guard duty down in the cell area with a wave of his hand and the group was left alone.

"Her story checks out. Willow Danielle Rosenberg, eighteen years old, birthdate is August 18 1981, resident of Sunnydale, California. Graduated top of her class from Sunnydale High last spring, parents are Ira and Sheila Rosenberg, who are currently lecturing in Europe. She is an only child and she is currently attending University of California, Sunnydale Campus. Criminal record is clear, except for her being witness to a couple of things. She was in a coma briefly eighteen months ago when a bookshelf was pushed over on top of her during a gang attack at her high school and she helped evacuate victims when her high school exploded during her graduation ceremony. The cause of the explosion was a gas leak," Hammond told them, reading from the file he had used his standing to create. He passed the file over to Sam to read more in depth.

"That matches with what I found, sir," Janet added. "Her blood work was normal, she's a healthy eighteen year old human girl…a little anaemic but otherwise fine. Nothing in her blood to explain anything abnormal."

"So, if she is a witch, it doesn't show in her blood and if she's lying, then we're back at square one," Daniel reasoned.

"Perfect," Jack grumbled, getting a feeling that he wasn't going to be able to go home that night and watch his favorite ice hockey team play.

"She's been here for a few hours now. Do you think someone's noticed that she's missing?" Sam said, having finished reading the report.

"I got the impression that it's going to take a few more hours than that to raise the alarm," Daniel commented. Jack had to agree with Daniel. It had sounded like Willow was midway through a serious argument with her friends and with her parents on the other side of the world, it would be a while before anyone became concerned regarding her whereabouts, which would work in their advantage, especially as they were so far from Sunnydale. Willow had said that she was in a crypt before she'd vanished (Jack had no idea why) and he very much doubted that a crypt would have video surveillance in there, which was also good for the SGC and for Willow as well. A general panic would happen if footage was found of a teenaged girl simply vanishing into thin air, causing problems for everyone involved. Jack had a feeling that Willow wouldn't want the fact she was a witch to become general knowledge.

"And we still don't know if she was telling the truth or not," Hammond frowned.

"I believe that Willow Rosenberg was telling the truth. I did not see her showing any signs of lying when she spoke," Teal'c commented.

"We know that she's not… normal. She did levitate the pencil, that's something," Daniel said optimistically. The others all nodded at the comment. It was true, that was the only concrete evidence that they had. Jack frowned, not liking how small that amount of evidence was.

BtVS/SG1

Willow groaned as she regained consciousness, blinking her eyes open and frowning in confusion at the unfamiliar surroundings. The last time she checked, her room at UC Sunnydale certainly hadn't looked like a jail cell and neither had her bedroom at her parents' house.

Then her memories came flooding back… her pain over Oz's infidelity, the will-be-done spell, the attitude of her friends towards her grief and use of magic, sitting in the crypt, and being transported to the assumed air force base. Willow sat up, frowning at the blanket that was draped over her. She knew that she'd passed out but she was certain that she hadn't been anywhere near the cot in the corner when she'd done it. Willow felt her cheeks go red and she flopped back down and buried her face in the thin pillow in embarrassment. She must have been carried over to the bed and the blanket been put over her.

Biting her lip, she sat up again and got off the cot, relieved to find that the sleep had been enough to replenish her strength... at least enough to keep her conscious for the next few hours.

Willow looked over towards the bars and noticed the tray of food sitting on it, just inside her cell, near the gate. Willow's stomach rumbled and a quick glance at her watch told her that a full ten hours had passed. It was now about eight o'clock in the morning, Sunnydale time. She hadn't eaten in almost twenty four hours and even then it had only been something light since she'd been too upset to try and eat anything more.

Willow crept closer to the tray, frowning when she noticed that no one was watching her cell. There were security cameras but she couldn't see anyone.

Guessing that it was okay for her to eat, Willow picked up the sealed plastic container of water, much like the ones served on airplanes, and peeled back the lid, taking a deep drink. She trusted that, since the container was sealed, the water hadn't been tampered with… or, well, she hoped it hadn't been anyway. Also on the tray were some fruit and a couple of slices of toast, again with small sealed packets of various types of jam and topping. Willow flinched as her stomach rumbled and she began to eat, glancing around nervously, frightened that the food was in some way contaminated or as some sort of test to prove her innocence or guilt.

"Well, somebody was hungry," an amused voice said. Willow jumped violently, coughing as she choked a little on the piece of toast she'd just eaten. She took a mouthful of water, which helped with the issue.

"Sorry," the voice apologized. It was the gray-haired man from earlier.

"S'okay." Willow shrugged, moving away from the bars a little as the man approached. He was accompanied by the two women from earlier, the doctor and the blonde.

"How do you feel, Willow?" the doctor asked, her voice soft and kind, the voice of a mother… except Willow could never recall her own mother using that voice. Sheila's voice had always been full of disappointment, indifference, or been so false and condescending that Willow had known that she was not being taken seriously.

"Er, okay. Kind of freaked but better than I did before. I guess jumping states takes it out of you," Willow admitted.

"I don't think we introduced ourselves before, I'm Janet," the doctor told her in the same kind, calming voice. "I've analyzed the blood results and it appears to be perfectly normal. Does that sound right?"

"I guess so." Willow frowned, not getting where Janet was going.

"What she means," added the blonde, "is that your… magic… Well, does it affect your blood or does your blood appear to be normal?"

"I don't know," Willow admitted. "I've never been able to test it. I mean, I could have tested it against Amy's, but then her blood is probably all ratlike now, so it wouldn't be effective."

"Huh?" Jack asked, confusion written across his face.

"There was a… thing earlier this year. Two of my friends and I were accused of witchcraft by the parents of Sunnydale. They tried to burn us at the stake. One of my other friends was… is a witch as well and she turned herself into a rat to escape the flames. Only thing is, we don't know how to turn her back." Willow ducked her head sheepishly

"Hang on… someone tried to burn you at a stake?" Janet's jaw was hanging open.

"Yeah, there was a whole mob but it was my mom and my other friend's mom that started the fire."

"Your own mother tried to burn at the stake?" Jack said, anger and shock in his voice.

"Yeah, she doesn't remember it though. All the parents were under this weird… spell thing at the time. I am actually guilty of doing witchcraft, although I've never done a spell on another living person or… I suppose that my will-be-done did kind of affect the others, so I kind of did deserve it and, well, obviously I'm not dead, so it doesn't really matter… moving on," Willow babbled. The three adults on the other side of the bars just stared at her.

"Um, I was allowed to eat that food, wasn't I?" Willow asked nervously.

Jack snorted. "Of course you were. You thought we would have let you starve or, what, poisoned you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, yeah. I kept thinking about those old psychologists, you know, with the negative reinforcement and all that," Willow admitted, although the Initiative's experiments had also played a role in developing her fears, not that she was going to disclose that she knew about the Initiative's work. On the other side of the bars, the three adults shook their heads.

"God, no," Janet exclaimed.

"Oh, goody," Willow smiled.

"So, Sunnydale, huh? That's where that school blew up during the graduation ceremony?" Jack asked.

Willow nodded. "Yep, that's the Hell… that's Sunnydale for you, always putting the special in special occasions. Not many people can say that their diploma has a scorch mark on it from when the school blew up. It was a gas explosion," she said, hoping that they didn't notice her slip-up. She was on dangerous ground after talking about Amy and how she'd nearly been burnt at the stake.

"You've had a big year," the blond woman smiled.

Willow shrugged. "You could say that," she conceded. When she thought about it, the blonde was right. It had been a rather significant year with lots going on and it wasn't over yet.

"Okay, so we've checked your story and we know that you exist," Jack said.

"That's good, existing is always good." Willow nodded, hoping that she had not jumped dimensions. She had met herself before and it hadn't been a pleasant experience. She had no desire to repeat it.

"And we acknowledge that you have some form of… otherworldly powers," he continued.

"Yes," Willow nodded, glad her levitation display had at least achieved something.

"The question we don't know the answer to is what you would do if you were released."

"Go home," Willow replied, although the thought of going home at that point didn't sound appealing. It was obvious that her friends were over her moping about Oz and Giles was disappointed by her use of magic and she hadn't seen her parents since they were home the last time, which was before graduation. They hadn't even called after her graduation asking how it went or to see if she survived the explosion that had destroyed the school. It wasn't like there had been no causalities.

She had been fighting the supernatural without any breaks for almost three years, since early 1997. Now it was late 1999. Buffy admittedly had things the worst but then, she had spent two of the summers away from Sunnydale, either running away from her own painful separation from Angel (well, it was a little more than just a separation, Willow conceded) or to spend time with her father.

"Or, I don't know, I might go traveling. Home might not be the best place at the moment. Maybe that's why I got transported…because it was a subtle hint that I needed to get away for a little while. A holiday away from… things sounds like a good idea," Willow said out loud.

The blonde sighed. "The thing is, Willow, we're in a really tough position. This site… it's one of the most secure military bases in America."

"Ah, and I'm a security threat… Right." Willow nodded. She let out a sigh and leaned against the wall.

"So, I'll spend the rest of my life in here?"

"No, but we need to know that we can trust you and well, things are complicated by the whole you-having-powers thing," Jack explained.

Willow tilted her head back. "If I give you a name of someone in the military I know, can I get them to vouch for me?" she asked wearily. The three looked at each other in surprise. Willow didn't seem to be the type to have military contacts.

"Who?" the man asked.

"Riley Finn, he's stationed at Sunnydale, a project known as the Initiative. I am known to them… well, not the whole having powers thing but the rest. Maybe, maybe try and keep it unofficial though, you know, without letting anyone else know, because he's the only one of them I trust. He's my friend's boyfriend, and even then i'd rather he didnd't know quite yet about me not being a normal person."

"We'll look him up." The gray-haired man nodded before the two women got up and the three left. Willow sighed.

"I hope I don't live to regret that," she said to herself.

**A.N. Before everyone jumps up and down, I know that at this point the scoobies don't know that Riley is part of the initiative, but let's say for fanfiction's sake that they already know...we'll just swap those two episodes around or something. Everyone good now? **

**Okay...hope you enjoyed.**

**R.W. **


	4. Chapter 3: Am I going to see you again?

Riley frowned as the ringing of his telephone disturbed him from his rest. He blearily opened his eyes, squinting at the clock. Alright, nine o'clock wasn't exactly early but he'd been patrolling the previous night and hadn't been able to go to bed until nearly four that morning. Reaching out his arm, he picked up the receiver in order to cease the persistent ringing and raised it to his ears.

"Hello, Finn speaking," he said into the phone.

"Agent Riley Finn, United States Army, I assume?"

"Yeah, who is this?"

"General George Hammond, United States Air Force."

"Sir." Riley shot upright. "Sorry, sir."

"Is this a secure line?"

"Yes, sir," Riley said, glancing around.

"Good, what do you know about Willow Danielle Rosenberg of Sunnydale?"

"Willow? She's a good student, works really hard on her studies, sir. She's a loyal friend and I believe that she can be trusted." Riley though back to the occasions on which he'd met Willow, struggling to think of things to say. To be honest, he rarely saw Willow without Buffy and when Buffy was around he found he was rather distracted.

"Is that all?"

"She's been down lately because her boyfriend cheated on her," Riley said honestly, "and she's having a bit of trouble dealing with being single again, sir. She's very shy and quiet."

"Anything unusual you want to report... anything out of the ordinary?"

"She's smart. Even from what I've seen of her in class, it's obvious that she is smarter than all of the other students. I've been told that she was offered places at Harvard, Yale, Brown, Oxford, Cal Tech, and MIT but she didn't want to leave her friends behind, so she stayed in Sunnydale, sir."

"Alright, thank you, Special Agent Finn. There is no need to mention this call to anyone, not your commanding officer or even Willow's friends, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." With that, the phone call was disconnected. Riley took his ear away from the phone and stared at it in bemusement before he shook his head and put it back down.

Something was obviously up, he concluded, but whatever it was obviously did not concern him, although Riley did wonder how an Air Force general knew how to contact him and for that matter, how an Air Force general knew that he knew Willow Rosenberg.

Still, Riley reasoned as he snuggled back under his covers, it was obviously above his rank and he decided it was best to just follow the general's orders and keep his mouth shut.

BtVS/SG1

Hammond hung up the red phone in his office and looked at Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Daniel. They all had serious looks upon their faces, as fitted the situation. It appeared that they had an innocent civilian in the brig, guilty of nothing more than being cheated on by her boyfriend and having a broken heart. He'd just gotten off the phone with President Hayes, who had told him that the government was aware that there were certain members of the American… and global community who had the power to do what Willow had claimed to have done accidentally. It worried Hammond and an idea formed in his head. Perhaps Willow would be able to make sure that it didn't happen again by creating a sort of mystical iris around the mountain complex.

Hayes had encouraged Hammond to utilize the opportunity Willow Rosenberg presented to the Stargate Program, although he hadn't given much away. The president's words combined with the way that Riley Finn had talked about her, the clever, quiet and shy girl that was loyal to her friends and heartbroken by her boyfriend's infidelity, led Hammond to be inclined to believe that the teenager could become an asset to the SGC.

Of course, there was that problem… Willow was a teenager and, if their research was accurate, an American citizen at that. They couldn't hold her in custody forever and eventually her family and friends would notice her disappearance. They may well have already. Willow had been on base for (Hammond checked his watch) approximately nineteen hours. She attended college and although it was a Saturday, it would probably have been noticed that she didn't go back to her dorm room the previous night.

"Sir?" Jack asked, obviously wondering what had transpired between Hammond and the president to make the General so thoughtful.

"The President is aware that people with powers similar to Willow's exist. He suggests that we treat her as an asset to the SGC."

"Wouldn't it be really bad if she got taken as a host?" Daniel added.

"Indeed, especially if Willow Rosenberg has abilities other than levitating pencils and transporting herself great distances," Teal'c added. Hammond shuddered at the prospect of Willow being possessed by a Goa'uld

"Sir, she's eighteen years old," Jack protested. "She's just a kid."

"I don't like this any more than you do," Hammond told Jack, "but I have a civilian in the brig and I don't know what to do with her."

"Did you check out that military contact of hers, sir?" Sam asked. Hammond nodded.

"He's working a covert government operation in Sunnydale, based at the college. Information is classified but he was familiar with Willow, told me that she was a good student, very shy, but highly loyal to her friends," Hammond told his primary team.

Jack exhaled. "So, what do we need to do?" he asked.

"We should let her out of the brig soon. She's been in there for almost a full day," Sam told the men. "We've determined that she's innocent in all this?"

Hammond nodded. "Evidence just points to her being a kid who made a mistake."

"It is," Jack commented, "a little worrying that anyone with these powers can just pop in, though."

"Indeed, especially as they may not all be as good as Willow," Teal'c stated.

"That's the thing. If I ask Willow to help out, the first thing I'll ask her to do is see if she can put a barrier around the mountain to stop people getting in like that," Hammond told SG1. The team nodded, all agreeing that it was a good idea.

"And we're certain she is a good guy?" Jack asked.

"I feel that she would be a beneficial inclusion to the SGC," Teal'c commented. "She appears to be genuinely afraid and has not used violence against any of us."

"That's true and she hasn't said anything hostile to us, no threats or anything," Daniel added.

"Still, I advise caution. It could just be an act to get on our good sides," Hammond told the team, who nodded in agreement.

"Aright, let's go talk to the kid," Jack said and SG1 headed out of Hammond's office.

BtVS/SG1

Willow sat in her cell, wishing she had something to do. There were a few guards around, but other than that the cell area was deserted.

"Hey, little red," a voice called and Willow sat up, spotting the gray-haired man and his team, minus the older, bald-headed man and Janet.

"So, good news.," the man said. "The General made a couple of phone calls and your story fits, so it looks like we'll be letting you out."

"Really?" Willow perked up. She could get out of this cell?

"Yeah, bad news though, we'll have to keep you on base for a little bit longer, just so you can sign non-disclosure stuff and all that. It's going to mean that you'll still be under constant supervision but you won't be down here."

Willow nodded. "Okay, thank you, Mr…"

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, with two l's," the man offered. "This here is my team, Major Sam Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Murray."

"Hi," the rest of the team smiled. Willow smiled, glad that she could put names to faces.

"Nice to finally get to know people's names."

"Okay, the thing is, the general has a favor to ask," Jack said. Willow tilted her head curiously.

"Yeah?"

"He wants to know if it is possible for you to make it impossible for other people to get in like you did."

Willow frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose wards would work and I think I know how to do it. Have you guys still got the books I had in my bag?"

"Yes," Sam said. "They were put in a locker once it was determined that they, with the rest of your belongings, were not dangerous, except for the stake, which Jack has."

"What was that for anyway?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Rituals. Sometimes you need something pointy and a stake is easier to carry around with you than a knife," Willow lied. "If I could access my books, I will be able to do it, I think. How big an area are we talking?"

"Quite large," Teal'c replied. Willow frowned.

"Is there a perimeter fence that I can work off?"

"Yeah," Jack nodded.

"Okay then, that makes it easier, otherwise I would have to walk the entire way. Since there's a fence, I can just go to one spot and the magic will just go along the entire fence line."

"Have you done something like this before?" Sam asked.

Willow paused. "On a much smaller scale, one time, and I had help then," she answered. It was true. One day the summer that Buffy was in LA at her dad's, Willow and Jenny had put a perimeter around Jenny's apartment building and coincidentally, that book was one of the ones that she'd had in her bag. Willow cracked her fingers and settled down to control her center, pushing thoughts of Oz from her mind. If this warding was going to work, then she really needed to be focused or she was worried that it would be seen as a deliberate betrayal of the military.

"Alright then, let's go," Jack said, having retrieved the key and pushed it into the lock, turning. Willow heard the cell door click and smiled, not nearly feeling so captive anymore. She was still being held by the U.S. military, but at least she wasn't in a cell anymore.

"Come on, Willow Rosenberg," Murray told her and Willow walked out of her cell, feeling more comfortable and relaxed than she had since before she left Sunnydale

BtVS/SG1

Xander frowned as she watched Giles and Buffy argue about the best way to kill the latest demon to rear its ugly head. Sitting in a chair, tied up securely, was Spike, who looked as bored as Xander felt.

"God, "Spike groaned eventually, "where's Red? She's the only one of you lot that's remotely interesting."

"Shut up, Spike," Buffy ordered before carrying on her argument with Giles without missing a beat.

"You know, I was wondering the same thing. Not the whole interesting thing, but Willow doesn't miss these research sessions," Xander said aloud.

Anya shrugged. "She probably just got laid or something."

"She didn't come back to the dorm last night, so she's probably moping somewhere. She should mope too. She made me have feelings for Spike, ick!" Buffy added, obviously not caring.

"Thanks, bitch," Spike snarked. Xander shook his head, picking up his jacket and getting to his feet.

"Oh, is it time to go? We can go home and have lots of orgasms," Anya beamed. Xander shook his head.

"No, Anya, you stay here. I'm going looking for Willow."

"Xander, you shouldn't go out alone," Giles said shaking his head.

"What, and Willow should be?" Xander spat.

"Take Spike if you want," Buffy said dismissively. "Then he won't be around when Riley get's here."

"Hey," Spike said in protest. "Fine I'll go help the whelp look for Red, but only because I damn well choose to, not because you want me to, Slutty. Untie me."

Xander rolled his eyes but untied the chipped vampire.

"Anything happens to him, Spike, and I'll see how far I can shove a stake into your chest," Buffy threatened before she continued to argue with Giles. Spike and Xander walked out the door and Xander slammed it shut behind him. While it was true that Willow had done the wrong thing, she was still his friend and he still wanted to know she was safe. The spell had been broken and everyone had gone back to normal

"Where do you plan on looking?" Spike asked as the climbed the stairs up from Giles' courtyard.

"Oz's crypt, the dorm room, the college library and her parent's house." Xander listed the places he could imagine Willow going to. Spike nodded in agreement, knowing that Xander knew the young redhead best.

"Right, off we go then. I promise I won't let any nasties get you. If anyone's going to kill you, it'll be me once I get this bloody chip out."

"Not reassuring, Spike," Xander told the vampire as they headed off down the street.

BtVS/SG1

Xander was ashen-faced as he hung up the phone, his worry for his best friend washing over him. His search had proved fruitless. They'd found no sign of Willow anywhere they had searched. Her parent's house was empty and deserted and given by the amount of dust lying around, Willow hadn't been back home recently. Xander and Spike had, after their search had been unsuccessful, had gone to the Bronze, in case Willow had gone there, and they'd even cautiously visited Willy's, but no one there had seen Willow and Spike and Xander had made a hasty retreat when things had turned hostile.

Finally, out of desperation, they had gone back to Xander's home and, having found the business card that Xander had sworn that he would never use, dialed the number for Angel's new PI business. It had been painful for Xander to hear Cordelia's voice and how it had turned hostile when she'd realized who was on the other end of the call. Neither Cordelia nor Angel had seen Willow, although they promised to call if she turned up.

With a heavy heart, Xander slowly trudged back towards Giles' house, Spike at his side. Xander had a horrible feeling in his chest that he was never going to see Willow alive again.


	5. Chapter 4: What the heck?

Willow carried her bag over her shoulder as she trudged back into the base, surrounded by Jack, Daniel, Sam, Murray, and a few guards who shot nervous looks in her direction. Willow didn't blame them. From what she'd overheard them say, there were lots of rumors about her circulating the base, none of which were even close to the truth. Most believed she was some kind of alien that had been beamed down from space to spy on them in preparation for some sort of invasion by the rest of her race.

Willow didn't know if she should laugh or be insulted. Obviously the people in the military watched way too much Star Trek.

Thankfully, it had just been her and Jack's team when she'd done the ritual at the fence, which was good, because it had been more complicated than Willow had first anticipated. For one, she hadn't quite expected the fence to be quite as long as it was and secondly, the ritual had been more draining than she thought it would be. As a result, she was now rather tired again. She hoped her new room would not be far from the escape hatch they had used to get in and out of the complex. Willow hadn't even realized that she was underground, although it did make sense when she thought about how many different levels there had been.

Willow sniffed as she walked, wiping away the small trickle of blood that ran from her nose. Ever since she'd finished the ritual, her nose had been lightly bleeding but because of the darkness, no one else had noticed thankfully. She imagined that it would cause a bit of a stir amongst Jack and his team who, it appeared, had been assigned as her guards or at least, her guides.

They knew what they were doing too, Willow figured as Sam crouched down and brushed aside branches and leafs to uncover another hatch in the ground with a little keypad. Sam typed something on the keypad and then she and Murray pulled on it, revealing a ladder down into the base proper. Jack and Daniel climbed down the ladder first. Then Willow carefully climbed down, although she was relieved to note that the hole was wide. It needed to be, she figured, given that she was generally much smaller than the soldiers she had seen on the base.

Having gotten her feet back on firm ground (and having only almost fallen off the ladder once), Willow blinked at the brightly lit underground corridor. It looked like every other corridor in the base and she had no idea where she was. Jack's team, however, looked rather comfortable… that was, right up until Jack saw Willow's face.

"What the heck!?" Jack exclaimed, causing the rest of the group to spin around. Willow wiped at her nose again, finding only a little blood had fallen since the last time she'd done it. The bleed was slowing. Her hand, however, was stained red from the drying blood and Willow knew the lower parts of her face must look like something out of a horror movie.

"Er, yeah, Giles says this happens with some magic. Don't worry, it's slowing down," Willow told them, wishing she had a tissue or something to use to staunch the flow and clean herself up with.

"Why didn't you say something, kid?" Jack frowned and he approached Willow. Willow shrugged as Jack held her face in his hands, obviously inspecting her for any further injuries. Willow didn't feel threatened by the older man being so close, which surprised her.

"I'm fine," she protested as Daniel pulled a clean tissue from a little pack in his pocket and passed it to her. She held the tissue to her nose. Jack's eyes narrowed and he let her go.

"Fine, come on then," he told her gruffly. Sam shot a concerned look at Willow as the group followed Jack down the corridor. They walked down the corridor until they stopped at a door. Jack scanned his identification card at the keypad and the door clicked open, revealing a room on the other side. It was simple with a bed, a bedside table, and a desk. Although there wasn't much in it, it looked far more comfortable than the cell Willow had been kept in before.

"Here we are, your new accommodation." Jack gestured toward the interior. "This is one of the rooms that we set aside for visitors," he explained. Willow could tell there was an added comment there… 'when we don't know if they're on our side or not'. She shrugged and walked into the room, smiling broadly when she saw the little bathroom attached and the clean clothes sitting on the bed.

"Alright, I'll leave you to it. Daniel will bring up a tray for you soon."

"Thanks." Willow nodded and the team headed out, the door closing and clicking behind her. Willow let out a sigh, knowing she was locked in, before she grabbed the pair of pajamas that had been left, which was actually a pair of sweat pants and a black t-shirt, and headed into the bathroom. It had been awhile since she'd had a shower and she was starting to get a bit smelly.

BtVS/SG1

Willow sat alone in her room, her hair still damp from her shower. She felt like a different person now that she was clean. The shower had also provided her with the opportunity to think and plan what she should do next. Near the top of the list was contacting Giles and telling him where she was, since she was pretty sure her absence would have been noticed by someone…. at least, she hoped so. She had been gone for over 24 hours now, after all. If she had been taken and turned by a vampire she would have already risen again, and would likely be stalking her first meal.

There was a slight, niggling doubt, however, in the back of her mind that maybe none of the Scoobies had noticed that she was missing. She knew her parents wouldn't know, since she hadn't seen them since before graduation, and she rarely heard from them with rare emails where she would get updated on where they were planning on going next and the twice-monthly deposit of money that her parents put in Willow's bank account to cover bills and food expenses, which they had done ever since Willow was sixteen. Before that, they had organized a family friend of theirs to pay the bills but still forwarded food money on to Willow. Willow had never used all of the food money her parents had sent her, although she knew her parents were compensating for not being there by being generous with their money. As a result Willow had a very healthy looking bank account, although she rarely touched the money it contained. It meant little to Willow, who craved only the love and affection of her parents but had never received it.

Even when she'd been in the coma following the incident at the library, her parents had only stayed with her briefly, heading back to their respective lecture tours the day after Willow came home from the hospital. It had stung but Willow had brushed it off, used to her parent's neglect.

Sniffing slightly, Willow drew her legs up, feeling the familiar pain of being abandoned by her family and friends bubbling up through her body. She started, however, when the door was knocked on.

"Er, come in," she said somewhat cautiously, remembering the incident with Spike in her dorm room. The door opened, revealing Daniel and Murray. Murray was holding a tray loaded up with food. Willow's mouth watered at the sight and she realized she hadn't eaten anything since she'd had an apple for lunch.

"Greetings, Willow Rosenberg," Murray said as he crossed the threshold.

"We brought some dinner for you. We figured you would be hungry," Daniel added. Willow nodded and got up as Murray carried the tray over to her desk. Willow crossed over and had a look.

"We didn't know what you liked, so we just got a bit of everything," Daniel explained. Willow shook her head.

"It's great," she told them. "Thanks."

"You're most welcome, Willow Rosenberg." Murray inclined his head. Willow began to tuck into the food, suddenly rather hungry.

"Jack… Colonel O'Neill has arranged for you to be able to call home tomorrow," Daniel told her as she ate. "You can't tell them where you are but you can reassure them that you are safe."

Willow nodded. "Thank you," she said once she had swallowed her mouthful of food. "I was hoping I would be able to call my friends soon and, you know, let them know that I'm not kidnapped or whatever."

"What about your parents?" Murray asked curiously. "Do they not also need to know your whereabouts?"

Willow shrugged. "Probably but I don't know what there current phone number is. I think I have it written down at home but naturally, I don't have that piece of paper with me. They're in Italy at the moment… or have they gone to Germany already? No, they still have two more days in Italy and then they go to Germany. Anyway, if it's okay with you guys, I'll just send them an email telling them I'm… deferring study for the semester and going traveling… or something."

"When was the last time you saw them? Surely, they must be concerned?" Daniel asked.

Willow actually snorted, "I haven't seen my parents in over six months… since before graduation," she told them, figuring it was best to be honest with the military people. Willow saw the significant look exchanged between the two men.

"Don't you miss them?" Daniel asked.

Willow shrugged. "Not really, they've been gone like this before. They were gone most of the time when I was growing up. Not so much when I was in elementary school but once I was in junior high, I got left alone a lot."

Daniel frowned at that but Willow was too busy eating to notice. There was something about Willow that made the compassionate part of Daniel, which if Jack was to be believed was far too strong, want to be able to help her. The issue was, Daniel knew, with Jack and Hammond being so suspicious of Willow (probably with good reason, given the nature of her arrival at the SGC). Still, she had been nothing if not compliant of their requests and orders and she'd never done anything that had hurt any of them, even risking herself in the process of trying to protect them from being infiltrated by others using the same method Willow had. Daniel shuddered at the memory of Willow, her face covered in drying blood from her nose earlier. He was thankful that she'd cleared the blood away during his absence, as it had made her look like she'd been badly injured.

"That sounds like a… lonely way to grow up," Daniel suggested.

"It was, a little, but I still had my friends, so it was fine. They were more my family than my parents were. Still are, I guess… at least Xander is. Jesse is too but, well, he died in our sophomore year of high school…" Willow faded off sadly, her face becoming distant and pensive as she thought of her lost friend.

"I'm sorry to hear that he died," Daniel apologized.

"I too extend my condolences, Willow Rosenberg," Murray said, inclining his head. Willow nodded her head.

"Thanks. I know it's been awhile but I still miss him, especially since I don't see Xander much now that I'm at college and he's… otherwise engaged," Willow said, putting Xander's... relationship with Anya as politely as she could.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked. Willow's cheeks colored slightly.

"Ever since my boyfriend and I broke up, I've kind of been a bit… off. My friends don't like it and think I should get over it already, but it still hurts so bad and I don't know if I can move on yet. It was kind of then that I realized that they don't really care… they've all moved on in their lives and I'm still stuck at square one trying to get over my cheating boyfriend… it's kind of pathetic, really." Willow smiled sadly.

Daniel and Murray simply looked at Willow, unable to think of anything less pathetic than what Willow had just told them.

BtVS/SG1

"This is not considered to be normal, is it, Daniel Jackson, for Willow's parents to have left her alone so much?" Teal'c asked as he and Daniel left Willow's room much later, carrying her empty tray. Daniel cleared his throat.

"No, it's considered to be illegal. Neglect, a form of child abuse," he replied slowly. Jack wouldn't like hearing that their… visitor had been neglected in the past, although it did make Willow's story more believable (aside from the whole witchcraft thing).

It was blatantly obvious that Willow had little confidence in herself. It was clear in the way she moved, how she avoided making eye contact, and the uncertainty she carried in her voice. It reminded Daniel forcibly of what he had been like when he'd been Willow's age. Add that to the fact that Willow felt like she'd been abandoned by both her friends and her parents, and then having been cheated on by her boyfriend and Daniel couldn't even begin to contemplate the emotional turmoil the teenager must be going through.

'We need to tell Jack. He needs to know that the kid shouldn't be sent back home, not like this."

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c.


	6. Chapter 5: You look after yourself, okay

Jack was sitting at his desk, attempting to finish the pile of mission reports and other assorted paperwork that had built up. He was drawn from the tedious and often repetitive work by a knocking on his office door.

"Come in," he called, smiling when Daniel and Teal'c entered the room, but the smile slipped from his face when he saw the expression Daniel wore.

"What's up?' he asked, concern seeping into his voice.

"Jack, we need to talk," Daniel told him and Jack felt his concern kick up a notch.

"Sure thing, space monkey."

"It's about Willow."

"What about her?'

"Teal'c and I just went and gave her some dinner and I got the impression that it wouldn't be a good idea to send her back to her home at the moment."

"Why? Did she say something? Does she know what we do here?" Jack scowled. Willow was a security breach already, just because she was there. They'd been hoping that she didn't know the true nature of the SGC and the work they did there. Jack actually had thought that Willow was unaware, simply thinking it was an ordinary military base.

Daniel shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that, I'm pretty sure that she doesn't know. She just said something about her parents and her friends and I don't think it would be good for her to be sent back there."

"Daniel, what did she say?" Jack rolled his eyes, annoyed at Daniel's babbling. He was tired and he had a lot of very boring work that he should be doing.

"That she hasn't seen her parents since before she graduated high school and they were gone for most of her time at junior high school and senior high school. They're off touring the world and doing lectures and they neglected her. It sounds like she's not getting the support she needed following her boyfriend cheating on her from her friends too."

"Daniel." Jack sighed sadly. "We are a military base, not a counseling service... or a child protection agency. Sure, it sucks for Willow that she has crap friends and her parents don't deserve the title but there isn't anything I can do about it. She's an adult, Daniel. I know she doesn't look like it but she's eighteen. I wish there was a way but other than lodging a complaint with the police or with child protection, we can't do anything for her. I'm pretty sure Willow would have mentioned it if she had any younger brothers or sisters, so it's not as if the Rosenbergs are going to neglect another child like that."

"But Jack… you should have seen it. I asked her about her parents and she just shrugged and said that they wouldn't even notice that she was missing, even if she was gone for a month... as if it was completely normal that they wouldn't care. She was so...accepting about it."

"Daniel Jackson is right," Teal'c added. "I was most surprised about the apparent lack of care Willow Rosenberg's parents have towards her."

"It happens, Teal'c. It isn't right but it happens. I'm sorry, Danny, but there isn't much we can do to help the kid. I want to help her, the kid looks like she's had a tough run of late, but I don't know what we can do for her," Jack said. Daniel sighed, nodding before he turned and walked out of the office. Teal'c hesitated before inclining his head.

"I will leave you to your work, Jack O'Neill.

"Thanks, T," Jack nodded as Teal'c walked out, closing the door softly behind him. Jack slumped down in his seat. The news that Daniel had delivered bothered him. Jack had suspected that Willow's childhood hadn't been overly pleasant. She was too insecure and nervous to have been raised in a home where she had loving, caring parents that were there for her. Already, even though he hadn't met them, Jack didn't like Willow's parents. He didn't understand why parents neglected their children like that. Just thinking of it brought painful memories of Charlie back. Jack never would have left Charlie alone like that.

It was okay, from Jack's perspective, when only one parent went away, as had happened at his home when Charlie was young, but it wasn't right for both parents to leave a kid at home alone for such long periods of time. Leaving them with a relative or a trusted family friend that the child knew well, like a grandparent or an aunt or uncle or something like that was a different story but it sounded like Willow had been left on her own for most of the time. It didn't matter how old the kid was or how capable he or she was at looking after themself, it was a parent's job to make sure that the kid was getting the emotional support… the love they needed in order to grow up into responsible, confident, emotionally stable and resilient adults and it was impossible to do that from the other side of the world.

Maybe, once Willow had been cleared and all had returned to normal, Jack would make some phone calls. After all, it would be much harder to travel around the world if you had a conviction against your name for child neglect.

BtvS/SG:1

His paperwork complete, for the moment, Jack leaned back in his char, stretching his arms over his head. He was relieved that his paperwork was finally up to date, pleased that Hammond would be off his back for a little while at least, but at the same time there was a nagging feeling in his gut. The whole time he'd been working on his paperwork, Jack hadn't been able to stop thinking about Willow, neglected by her parents, abandoned by her friends... so alone in the world that she lost control of her undoubtedly freaky powers and managed to transport herself to Colorado Springs.

Jack couldn't understand what had made Willow crash land in Teal'c's room. Of all the places in the world, why did she arrive at the SGC, in the middle of one of the most secure places in the world?

Despite having thought otherwise at first, Jack believed Willow's story. He'd heard freakier things in the past. The fact that there were people on earth that had supernatural powers... witches... didn't seem to be such a big deal when he knew that aliens really did roam the skies and some of them were just as mean as they were in the movies. Daniel and Sam probably had some theory about the origins of Willow's powers, like her having a particularly strong Ancient gene or something along those lines, but Jack had learned that some things were just impossible to explain.

Getting to his feet, Jack glanced at the clock. It was late and Daniel and Sam had both gone home for the night. He wasn't certain where Teal'c was exactly but he could be anywhere on the base. Jack guessed the gym, the mess hall, or in Teal'c's own rooms. Jack grabbed his bag and locked up his office, planning on heading home for a home-cooked meal (or rather, a reheat of a home-cooked meal – he had some stew in the freezer that sounded pretty good) and then to sit on the couch and watch a ice hockey match he had recorded but not had the opportunity to watch. He made it as far as the elevator before Jack stopped and instead of hitting the button that would take him to the exit; he hit the button to take him to the level Willow was staying on. Someone should check on the kid before she was left alone for the night.

Jack traveled to the relevant floor of the underground bas, before walking along the corridors until he reached Willow's room door. Nodding in greeting to the guard stationed outside the door, he knocked on it.

"Willow, its Colonel O'Neill. Can I come in?"

"Um... if you want," Willow's voice called from the other side. Frowning at the apprehensive response, Jack swiped his card in the lock. The door clicked and he opened it, crossing the threshold into the room.

Willow was sitting cross-legged on the bed, dressed in some clean clothes. She smiled sheepishly when she saw him.

"Sorry about that but where I come from, it's kind of good practice to not invite people into your home."

"Rough area, huh?" Jack asked. Willow shrugged.

"You could say that," she admitted. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Jack shook his head. "No, I just wanted to make sure you were all set for the night and that you don't need anything."

"Nope, I'm all set. Thanks for coming to check, though." Willow smiled.

"Okay then. I'll be back in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Colonel O'Neill."

Jack walked out, closing the door behind him and trying to forget the look of surprise that had crossed Willow's face when he'd told her that he was just checking on her, as if she hadn't expected anyone to care how she was doing. It sent a pang through Jack's chest and it made him wonder how much of an effect Willow's parent's treatment of her had had on her. Willow was a good kid, Jack could see that she was. She didn't deserve the type of treatment she had received from her parents and friends.

Obviously her parents and friends didn't really deserve her either.

BtVS/SG:1

"Alright, kid, here's the drill. You're just telling them that you are safe and unharmed and that you're going to be out of town for a bit. No saying where you are and definitely not who you're with. If they ask, well, lie... or something," Jack told Willow the next morning, explaining the rules of her phone calls to her family and friends. Willow had decided that it would be best to call her mother's manager, who organized Sheila Rosenberg's lecture tour itineraries and publicity trips for her books. It was the best way to make sure her parents were informed. As far as her friends went, she had known that she would need to call Xander. It had been an easy decision. Despite everything, she still considered him to be her best friend and in her heart she knew that if anyone was worried about her it would be Xander.

"I understand," she told Jack, who nodded.

"I'm sorry about this but it's a security thing. We're going to be recording the call, just in case we need to double-check something, alright?"

Willow nodded, making a mental note to not mention the Hellmouth or anything supernatural. Jack and the rest of the team already knew she had powers but they definitely didn't need to know what was beneath Sunnydale. She was going have to tell Xander not to say anything either, which was going to be tricky enough as it was.

"Okay, we set, Carter?" Jack asked. Sam, who was sitting at the computer, headphones on and monitoring the phone call, nodded and Jack handed over the phone, taking a few steps back and sitting beside Sam, putting on his own set of headphones. Willow let out the breath she hadn't even known she was holding and began to dial the number her parents had made her memorize. She listened to the phone ring a few times before a voice answered.

"You've reached Maggie Steven's office, this is Kate."

"Hi, can I talk to Ms. Stevens please?"

"Who is calling?'

"Sheila Rosenberg's daughter."

"One moment, please." Willow was put on hold and Willow shifted in her seat, avoiding the sympathetic looks she was receiving from Jack and Sam.

"Hello?" a voice answered. Willow recognized the voice as that of Maggie Stevens, her mother's publicist.

"Ms. Stevens? It's Willow Rosenberg here."

"Ah, what can I do for you, Willow? How's school going?"

"I graduated last June."

"Ah, yes. I forget how grown up you are. Are you at college? How are things going?"

"I'm at college and it's going okay so far academically. It's just that there's some stuff other going on in my life right now. Can I give you a message to pass onto my mom and dad?"

"Yes, of course, dear."

"Can you tell them that... that I've deferred my studies for a while and that I've gone on a road trip? I'm okay but I probably won't be in Sunnydale whenever they call in next."

"I'll be sure to tell them that. I thought you liked learning things and that you would have liked college."

"I've just got some personal things going on at the moment. My boyfriend cheated on me and I wasn't coping, I just needed to get out of town for a bit." Willow almost smiled as she'd said that. Maggie had recently gone through a rather nasty divorce, so she would understand and explain Willow's situation in a positive light to her parents.

"I see. I'll be sure to let them know. Take all the time you need, sweetie."

"I will. Thanks, bye."

"Bye, have a safe trip," Maggie said before she hung up. Willow hung up at her end.

"That was fine," Jack said encouragingly. Willow shrugged. Calling Maggie was going to be the easier of the two calls. Calling Xander was going to be much harder.

"Are you ready for the second call, Willow?" Sam asked. Willow took a steadying breath. It was now or never, she thought as she gave a single nod and began to dial the familiar number.

"Hello?" Xander asked as he answered the phone. Willow felt her throat tighten at the sound of his voice.

"Xander," she croaked down the line.

"Willow! Where are you? Are you okay? What happened, I've been looking everywhere for you. I've even been getting Spike to help and he's been useless."

"Xander, I'm okay. I just needed to get out of town for a bit... you know, get some space and all that, a bit of time away from Sunnydale and all that it involves."

"You left all of your stuff behind, though. Seriously, Wills, you just vanished into thin air. I was scared that... that you'd been... you know... like Jesse. I couldn't do that again. I know that we haven't been great friends for you lately... especially me. I'm sorry. I was wrong. You've always been there for me when I needed you but when you needed me I wasn't there."

"I know, Xander. It's okay, I promise that I'm still alive. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing but I've got my bank card and all that, so I've been able to get clothes and everything. How is everyone else doing?"

Xander snorted. "It's like nothing's wrong. Giles is still peeved at you for that whole blindness thing and Buffy's been too busy getting to know Riley. It's like you were never even here. It's wrong, though. Sunnydale doesn't feel like Sunnydale anymore with you gone. Please tell me you're coming back soon. I've been stuck with Anya and Spike for company."

Willow felt tears well up in her eyes. Her mentor and her only female friend didn't care that she was gone and had been gone for quite a few days. Obviously Buffy didn't need her anymore... and Giles had obviously never needed her... or cared about her. One mistake and it was like she'd never existed. It wasn't like Giles had been an angel in his teenage years, after all. In her pain, she was oblivious to the looks of concern on Sam and Jack's face as they watched the teenager struggle with her emotions.

"Willow, are you okay?" Xander asked, obviously worried about the silence on the other end of the line. Willow cleared her throat but her emotions still seeped into her voice when she spoke next, making her voice crack and wobble dangerously.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I... I don't know when I'll be able to call again. I'm going into really rural areas and I'll probably be out of phone range," Willow managed to choke out.

"Call me when you can, Willow. Despite how Buffy and Giles are acting, there are still some of us who care about you. You look after yourself, okay? Just because you're away from here doesn't mean that you're safe from what goes bang in the night."

"I know, Xan. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Wills.'

"I've gotta go, bye," said Willow, still rather choked up.

"Bye, Willow. Come home soon, please," Xander begged before he hung up. Willow lowered the phone and held it out to Jack, who took it wordlessly.

"You okay, kid?" Jack asked. Willow could hear the concern in his voice and something inside of her cracked. Giles didn't care about her; her own father didn't care about her... Why on earth was a stranger showing more concern over her than either of the men who she considered to be a father figure? Why was Jack, a man she barely knew, being more fatherly towards her than anyone else ever had been in her entire life?


End file.
